Niao Ni
Chapter 720: Who Slaughtered All Around Kyoto
"Xiao Xian Xian, eat." Dabao lowered his head, launching an assault on the food, speaking unclearly but resolutely, his tone revealing his genuine worry that Fan Xian would give everything to him, leaving him hungry.
Fan Xian smiled at his brother-in-law, tore open the soft, tender white bun skin of the Jietang steamed bun with his hands, soaked it in seaweed soup, and casually ate a few bites. Since taking over the duties of the First Bureau of the Overwatch Council, he had come to enjoy eating steamed buns at the Xinfeng Pavilion, and he would almost always bring Dabao along. He knew Dabao only liked the meat filling and had no fondness for the bun skin, so the two brothers coordinated well together.
Looking at the happy Dabao, sweating profusely as he ate, Fan Xian felt a pang of sadness in his heart for some reason, wondering if he would have the chance to spend time with his brother-in-law like this in the future. He enjoyed being with Dabao because only when he was with Dabao could he truly relax. He could tell him all his secrets, his views on this world, without worrying about betrayal.
After today, it would probably be difficult to eat steamed buns with Dabao again, or to lie on the bow of a boat together, looking at the starry sky, discussing how similar the stars of Qing were to the stars of that other world...
Fan Xian still smiled warmly and encouragingly at Dabao, but sighed inwardly, losing his appetite. He wiped the grease from his hands with a towel from the table, turned his head slightly, and looked across the second-floor railing of the Xinfeng Pavilion at the two yamen across the street.
The Qing Yu Nian Dali Temple and the First Branch of the Overwatch Council were both opposite the Xinfeng Pavilion.
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Today was the seventh day of the new year, the first day of duty for government officials after the Spring Festival. Besides the inter-departmental visits, mutual greetings, and the giving of red envelopes, there were no pressing political matters to attend to. Within a yamen, it was mostly a tea party, from the chief official to the lowest clerk, each holding a teapot, cracking melon seeds, chatting idly, incredibly relaxed. This was a common practice throughout the officialdom, and even the one in the palace knew this, after all, it was the New Year.
Since it was a relaxed day on duty with nothing much to do, naturally, quitting time came earlier. Even though it wasn't yet time, and the sun hidden behind the cold clouds hadn't yet moved to the southern meridian, many officials were already walking out of the Dali Temple across the street. These officials met with other officials from various departments who had been waiting at the yamen gate, scattering like birds and beasts onto the street, heading off to enjoy the cuisine of Kyoto. It wasn't a sin to have a drink at noon on the first day of duty, and it was even possible to return home for a rest after getting drunk.
Unlike the Dali Temple, the Overwatch Council's First Branch, with its noticeably more shabby and gloomy appearance, remained closed, with no officials entering to conduct business, and no idlers walking around and laughing. An oppressive atmosphere, causing one to feel discouraged, emanated from the courtyard. Fan Xian quietly looked at the familiar courtyard, the one he had once dominated, knowing exactly why.
The current Overwatch Council was facing a desolate wind and rain, its position in the court had plummeted. Especially in the past month, many Overwatch Council officials had been arrested and thrown into the Ministry of Justice and Dali Temple on trumped-up charges. Even though it was clear that the Censorate, led by He Zongwei, was carrying out a purge, the Overwatch Council seemed to have lost its magic, unable to muster any real strength to launch a powerful counterattack.
As one waned and the other waxed, the Censorate system, led by He Zongwei, had subtly surpassed Academician Hu and began to lead the entire civil service system in an attack on the Overwatch Council. Countless Overwatch Council officials were enduring cruel punishments in prison.
The current Qing Yu Nian was no longer the Qing Yu Nian with the old cripple.
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A steady footstep and a restrained laughter came from the stairs, and about seven or eight officials walked up from downstairs. Judging by their attire, they were all high-ranking officials, but these officials did not go to the elegant rooms on the third floor, but instead came directly to the railing with the proprietor, preparing to set up screens and sit by the railing.
The Xinfeng Pavilion was not well-known in the past. Although it was just opposite the Dali Temple and the First Branch of the Overwatch Council, officials always felt the place was too low-class, and even the elegant rooms had no girls to serve, so they preferred to go further away. It was only later that Fan Xian frequently came here to lean on the railing and devour meat buns, which raised the Xinfeng Pavilion's reputation. From then on, this became another type of refined pursuit.
Most of the officials who came to the Xinfeng Pavilion today were from the Dali Temple, and the main guest was Hou Jichang, who had just been transferred back to Kyoto from Jiazhou. The officials of the Dali Temple knew that this former one of Fan Xian's Four Disciples had now abandoned his pride and joined the ranks of Academician He, who was once on par with him, which was how he managed to get directly transferred into the Dali Temple - the changes of the world were truly lamentable.
The officials secretly despised Hou Jichang's betrayal of Fan Xian, but no one dared to show it on the surface. Today was Hou Jichang's first day at the Dali Temple, so naturally they urged him to treat them at the Xinfeng Pavilion. To give Academician He face, even the Vice Minister of the Dali Temple came in person.
Arriving at the railing, the officials prepared to sit down. Before the screens arrived, they naturally saw the table at the end of the railing. There were only three people at that table. A man who looked like a bodyguard had clearly finished eating and was vigilantly watching the surroundings. The fat man facing the officials was lowering his head and gobbling something down. The person facing the officials was dressed in civilian clothes, looking up at the street across the way. Just a back view made everyone's hearts skip a beat.
Hou Jichang's body stiffened at that moment. The hands exposed outside his official robe trembled uncontrollably, as if the cold wind outside the building was eroding every inch of his skin.
The other officials of the Dali Temple had only been startled by the desolate figure, and hadn't recognized the person's identity, so they were incredibly surprised to see Hou Jichang's pale face. They followed Hou Jichang's gaze again, and finally understood the source of Hou Jichang's terror.
After an awkward silence, the Vice Minister of the Dali Temple frowned, gently patted Hou Jichang on the shoulder, and softly comforted him: "Sit down."
Hou Jichang sat down, his soul unsettled. After a long time, he sighed with some shame. If it were any other time in the past, this table of officials would certainly have gone to that table to respectfully greet Fan Xian. But now, Fan Xian not only had no official position, but even his title of First Class Duke had been stripped away by His Majesty, turning him into an ordinary commoner.
This table of Dali Temple officials were all direct subordinates of He Zongwei. Knowing that Little Fan Xian was on that side of the railing, they were naturally not going to leave from this side. How could officials give way to commoners? How could the He faction, which was now in the ascendant, give way to a drowning dog?
Looking at Fan Xian's fallen state, these officials, while not foolish enough to mock him, would certainly have a secret sense of joy in their hearts. These days, the Dali Temple was trying old cases of the Overwatch Council, and was in its glory. Thinking that this place was a prosperous area of Kyoto, and that His Majesty was firmly holding onto Little Fan Xian's weaknesses, as long as they didn't provoke him, Fan Xian wouldn't be foolish enough to come and humiliate himself.
For some reason, the screens had not come up all this time, but the wine and dishes had arrived first. Although the officials of the Dali Temple were a little unhappy, they couldn't make a fuss in this situation. Losing face as officials was a small matter, but no official wanted to see any interaction with the silent three people at the other table.
"First, we welcome Lord Hou to the temple. From today onwards, Lord Hou will be our colleague..." The Vice Minister of the Dali Temple said with a smile, raising his wine glass.
Hou Jichang forced a smile and raised his wine glass as well, but he was truly quite flustered in his heart. Because he understood Fan Xian, his fellow disciple who was even younger than himself. Today, the other party suddenly appeared opposite the Dali Temple, in the Xinfeng Pavilion. Could it really be just because he liked the steamed buns in this restaurant?
At this thought, his hand trembled again, and he subconsciously glanced out of the corner of his eye at the silent three people on that side of the railing. He knew who the fat man facing him was, it was the biological older brother of the Princess of Chen, the somewhat foolish Dabao. He prayed secretly, since Little Fan Xian brought this person along, hopefully he wasn't here to cause trouble.
The Vice Minister of the Dali Temple noticed his abnormality and frowned slightly, displeased. Since the previous Vice Minister was implicated in the Old Qin family's rebellion in Kyoto, he had been doing smoothly in this position. Now, he even got to see the Overwatch Council bowing to him. He really didn't feel there was anything he needed to be afraid of. True, everyone knew that Little Fan Xian was formidable, but could he really be so unreasonable as to start cursing?
The Vice Minister was clearly dissatisfied with Hou Jichang's performance. He glanced at the fat man sitting opposite Fan Xian on the other side of the railing, guessed the other person's identity, and curled his lips slightly, revealing a trace of disdain, with a clear mocking expression in his eyes. Fan Xian liked to hang out with his silly brother-in-law, which was something everyone in Kyoto knew, but it was also something officials looked down upon. Although this Vice Minister didn't dare to satirize that side, his facial expression revealed everything.
"The second thing is to welcome Lord Guo's return from Jiangnan, and his re-entry into the Censorate as the Left Censor-in-Chief."
As soon as these words came out, the table became lively. The position of Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate was quite crucial. That Lord Guo smiled smugly, raised his glass of water and wine in a gesture of respect, but when his eyes fell on the other side of the railing, just like Hou Jichang, his face became quite unnatural.
The Censor Guo's name was Guo Zheng, the very person who wanted to deal with Fan Xian in the Kyoto Prefecture back then. Now, so many years had passed, and the people of Kyoto had probably forgotten about this matter, but Guo Zheng believed that Fan Xian would not forget, and neither would he forget. Because in the matter of the Jiangnan Internal Treasury, Guo Zheng had also stood on the opposite side of Fan Xian.
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Before the wine had gone through three rounds, the silent three people at the end of the railing had already finished eating. Fan Xian took Dabao's hand and walked towards the stairs, with Teng Zijing silently following behind. The three of them had to pass by the table where the officials were gathered to go downstairs. Unexpectedly, the officials at this table fell silent at the same time, waiting with a hint of nervousness for that Young Master to hurry up and leave.
Unexpectedly, Fan Xian didn't leave. He naturally came to the side of the table, smiling at the officials. The Vice Minister of the Dali Temple saw that the situation was not good, and awkwardly stood up, cupping his hands in greeting: "So it's Little Fan Xian, this official..."
As soon as he said "this official," he realized something was wrong. The other party was now a commoner, so how could he, as the dignified Vice Minister of the Dali Temple, say "this official"? The Vice Minister stammered, steeled his heart, and forced a smile, saying, "Would you like to join us?"
Fan Xian smiled and shook his head. At this time, Hou Jichang had already stood up in panic, lowered his head and bowed to Fan Xian. Cold sweat soaked his back, but Fan Xian didn't even look at him, as if he didn't exist at all. It was precisely this disregard that made everyone at the table feel a chill.
Fan Xian didn't look at Hou Jichang. He looked at the new Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, Guo Zheng, and said softly, "Three years ago, I was very curious. I exiled you to Jiangnan, causing you to be uneasy day and night. Later, the Kyoto rebellion occurred. You were clearly someone from Xinyang, so why didn't His Majesty issue an edict to punish you?"
"Later, I realized that you saw that the situation was not good, abandoned my poor mother-in-law, and relied on those old connections in the Censorate to cling to He Zongwei's thigh." Fan Xian laughed, shaking his head and sighing. "That He Zongwei is a three-surname slave. Naturally, you, this weather vane, learned from him thoroughly."
What kind of important figure was He Zongwei in the court now? As soon as Fan Xian said such a condemning sentence, all the officials at the table couldn't sit still and stood up abruptly, preparing to scold him.
"I was wrong. He Zongwei is not a three-surname slave. The masters he served all have the surname Li." Fan Xian shook his head and said, "I should say he is a loyal dog of the Li family."
The Vice Minister of the Dali Temple finally couldn't help it and said something with a cold face. But Fan Xian seemed not to hear it at all, just looked coldly at Guo Zheng, who was trembling all over, and asked word by word: "You were able to return to Kyoto and take the position of Left Censor-in-Chief. You must have made a great contribution in Jiangnan. I was just wondering, are the deaths of my subordinates in Jiangnan related to you?"
Guo Zheng steeled his heart and said coldly, "This official is carrying out orders. Does Little Fan Xian have any objections?"
"Very good, you finally have some backbone. This is how a Censor-in-Chief should be." Fan Xian said slowly, "I knew you were entering Kyoto today, so I made a special trip here to wait for you."
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The atmosphere in the Xinfeng Pavilion suddenly became as quiet as before a storm, so quiet that it was unsettling. What did it mean to specifically wait for Guo Zheng? Although until this moment, no one believed that Fan Xian would dare to do something so outrageous in this important place of Kyoto, something that would humiliate the court, looking at Fan Xian's increasingly indifferent face, everyone felt a chill and fear.
There weren't many guards following these officials into the Xinfeng Pavilion. After all, no one would have thought that such a big thing would happen right across from the Dali Temple. Feeling that the atmosphere upstairs was strange, several guards rushed up, anxiously watching this scene.
Fan Xian smiled.
The Vice Minister of the Dali Temple smiled awkwardly.
Guo Zheng smiled very unnaturally.
Then, a plate of food was directly smashed onto Guo Zheng's face. The gravy and broken porcelain flew together, bursting open on the Censor-in-Chief's face, turning into countless rays that sprayed out!
At the same time as it sprayed out, so did the blood that sprayed out of Guo Zheng's face!
Fan Xian withdrew his hand and pressed it on the back of Guo Zheng's head, directly pressing it into the hard pear wood table! Such a hard table, he forcibly pressed in a head made of flesh and blood!
With a cracking sound, a few fine lines appeared on the hard pear wood table. Guo Zheng's cervical vertebrae were all broken, and blood seeped out from the gaps between his facial bones and the hard pear wood table, like black water.
Without even having time to groan, Guo Zheng, who had just made great contributions to the court in Jiangnan and returned to Kyoto to take over as the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, was slapped into the table by Fan Xian in one palm, turning into a dead man.
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A deathly silence descended, and everyone present stared blankly at the head that was deeply sunken into the table and the table full of blood mixed with gravy, unable to speak. Because no one dared to believe what they were seeing, everyone thought it was just an illusion.
Murder in the street! Killing a court official! Killing a Left Censor-in-Chief in front of many officials!
This was something that had never happened in Kyoto, Qing Yu Nian, and it was also something that no one could imagine. Everyone simply couldn't react, just watching this scene as if they were watching an absurd play.
Finally, one official reacted. He screamed in horror, then rolled his eyes and fainted.
The guards rushed over and attacked Fan Xian, but only heard a few dull thuds. A few more unconscious bodies appeared on the wooden floor of the Xinfeng Pavilion's second floor. Fan Xian was still standing quietly by the table, as if he hadn't even made a move.
The Vice Minister of the Dali Temple stretched out his finger, pointing at Fan Xian with a tremble, as if he had seen a demon from the underworld suddenly walking under the sun. He couldn't say anything, just making pitiful whimpering sounds in his throat.
Fan Xian's eyes were expressionless, looking at him coldly and asking, "I heard that in the past month, under your instructions, the Dali Temple has used a lot of torture on my subordinates. Three of my subordinates were tortured to death in prison?"
The Vice Minister of the Dali Temple suddenly shouted, and ran back like a rabbit. It seemed that this official was preparing to climb over the railing, even if he fell and was seriously injured, he wanted to run out of this Xinfeng Pavilion.
But since Fan Xian had already started, how could he let him run away? Only the sound of the wind sweeping through the Xinfeng Pavilion's pavilion could be heard, followed by a crisp snap and a dull thud. The Vice Minister of the Dali Temple's cervical vertebrae broke here, and his head was also miserably slapped into the hard pear wood table.
Blood began to flow to the ground along the table. The heads of the two court officials were wedged into the table like that, unable to be separated. Their bodies were half-kneeling on the ground, and the tips of their feet in thick boots were still twitching, making the scene look very terrifying.
Killing two people in the street, the Xinfeng Pavilion was filled with wailing. Fan Xian's face remained unchanged, and he turned around. An employee of the Xinfeng Pavilion had inexplicably come behind everyone at some point, and handed over a hot towel.
Fan Xian took the towel and carefully wiped his hands, then threw the towel on the ground with some disgust. He took Dabao's hand and walked downstairs, saying to the employee, "You can start."
From the moment Fan Xian walked to this table to the moment he used the most cruel methods to kill two court officials, and then to the moment he went downstairs to leave, he didn't even look at Hou Jichang once.
Hou Jichang, with a pale face, trembled his lips, withdrew his gaze from the stairs, and landed on the two corpses. Looking at those things on the table, which were either brains or broad beans, flowing in the blood, endless fear occupied his whole body. He finally couldn't help bending over and vomiting uncontrollably.
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"Send Uncle back to the manor." Downstairs at the Xinfeng Pavilion, Fan Xian helped Dabao into the carriage and said a word to Teng Zijing, then watched the black carriage head towards the south of the city. Fan Xian was alone, but began to head towards the imperial city.
Fan Xian was not worried about the safety of the homeward-bound carriage, because there were six swordsmen responsible for protection along the way. Just as he said in the Xinfeng Pavilion, killing people was to avenge the subordinates of the Overwatch Council. Although he was no longer the director of the Overwatch Council, the fact was that as long as he was willing, he would always be the director of the Overwatch Council.
Shadow had returned to Kyoto and reorganized the six assassins who had always been hidden in the darkness. And the arrival of Haitang, especially Wang Shisanlang, made it impossible for the palace to stop Fan Xian from reconnecting with those who were loyal to him in the eight departments of the Overwatch Council. The Overwatch Council was already battered and bruised. Today, let it be the last glory of this gloomy courtyard.
This morning, Fan Xian, in the name of the director of the Overwatch Council, issued a final command to the Overwatch Council's nails and assassins in various places. He didn't know how many secret agents and officials would follow him, but Fan Xian believed that the boys under his command would not let him down.
The cold winter wind was blowing on the streets of Kyoto. There was still some time before entering the palace, Fan Xian walked alone along the street, heading towards the distant palace. He looked at the street scenes of Kyoto along the way, greedily breathing the air of Kyoto, as if trying to remember everything in his memory, so as not to forget even if he died.
Shortly after Fan Xian left the Xinfeng Pavilion, the First Branch of the Overwatch Council, which had been closed for a long time, suddenly went out in full force. More than a hundred Overwatch Council officials in black official uniforms, with murderous auras, poured into their old neighbors, now their most hated new enemies - the Dali Temple.
It must be said that the seventh day of the new year that Fan Xian chose was indeed the best opportunity. At this time, it was not yet noon, and the officials in the Dali Temple had already gone to enjoy themselves with officials from various departments. The Dali Temple Yamen had no power to resist in front of these wolf-like and tiger-like Overwatch Council officials, and this happened to be in line with Fan Xian's expectations, so that not too many Qing Yu Nian officials would bleed because of this turmoil.
Those court officials who had to die naturally had a reason to die. They were all targets carefully selected by Fan Xian. The First Bureau's occupation of the Dali Temple was just to rescue the colleagues who had been imprisoned by the court.
Fan Xian walked through the long street, turned to Shahe Street, bought a string of candied haws from a vendor, and ate them with relish. He casually threw a piece of gold leaf, naturally not bothering to look for change. He was very grateful for the candied haws in Kyoto, because he hadn't gotten lost in the Qing Temple back then because of the candied haws in that child's hand.
At noon today, the Minister of Revenue was treating guests at Yishiju. He invited the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice and several close friends, as expected, all of them were core figures of the He faction. The Minister of Revenue stroked his short beard and felt slightly smug in this warm pavilion in winter. After three years of hard work, he had finally cleared the shadows left by the former Minister Fan Jian in the department. The independent kingdom belonging to the Fan family no longer existed, and he had finally become the true Minister of Revenue.
Although in order to resist the pressure from the Fan family, he had very actively and humbly stood by Academician He, he didn't feel humiliated, because He Zongwei was originally a Grand Secretary of the Ministry of the Interior, and standing by Academician He was equivalent to standing in front of the Emperor, which was a kind of glory.
Originally, this banquet should have been held in the evening to make it more formal. However, the retainers who went to the He residence to inquire about the news had inquired clearly, and Academician He would also explain after the morning court meeting before the Spring Festival, that there were some things to do in the palace on the seventh day, so Academician He could not come to the banquet in person, so the time was moved to noon.
Although slightly disappointed, the Minister of Revenue also felt relieved. With Academician He not here, he was the highest-ranking person among these officials. Hearing the flattering voices coming from his ears, how comfortable was his mood?
Especially when he thought that he had just followed Academician He's will and the Ministry of Revenue forcibly intervened, playing the Kyoto Prefecture government to the point where they wished they were dead, forcing that hard-boned Sun Jingxiu to resign in despair, and still couldn't pay off the money to atone for his sins, and was sent to prison, the Minister of Revenue began to feel like he was dying in pleasure. What did he take to fight with him? Wasn't it just because he had given birth to a good daughter? After that daughter was sold to the Jiaofang Division, he would secretly make that daughter wish she were dead.
With the wine taking effect, just as the Minister of Revenue was circling around the four words "wishing she were dead," he didn't notice a cunning and venomous glint flashing in the eyes of the woman who was serving everyone in the warm pavilion.
Of course, the Minister of Revenue didn't know that the poison in the Wuliangye he was drinking was enough to make him wish he were dead countless times.
On the seventh day of the first month of the eleventh year of Qingli, a fire broke out in Yishiju. The warm pavilion became ruins, and the Minister of Revenue, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, and several core officials of the He faction died in the fire, dying in office due to drinking.
When the fire broke out, Fan Xian had already finished eating the candied haws. He picked up a newly bought black cloth umbrella and walked to the beautiful Tianhe Street. He casually threw the bamboo stick with the remaining sugar dregs into the unusually clean street side qingchi where the water was flowing, shrugged his shoulders, and didn't feel guilty at all for his polluting the environment.
Then he looked at the black stone tablet at the main entrance of the Overwatch Council that was being demolished, and the decreasing amount of gold characters on the stone tablet, stared for a moment, and shook his head.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, and snowflakes began to fall.
The snowflakes fell on the cold gate of the He residence. Academician He was honest and upright, and hated people giving gifts the most, so he raised two vicious dogs at the gate. Many people knew that this trick was originally created by the Viscount of Chenghai, that is, Lord Yan Ruohai. They couldn't help but secretly laugh at Academician He for picking up other people's teeth, but no matter what, these two vicious dogs still earned him a lot of clean reputation.
The two dogs were annoyed by the slowly falling snowflakes and desperately barked at the sky. The frozen dogs barking at the snow had no effect at all, and the snow was still falling slowly and firmly.
Two cries of grief, and the two vicious dogs fell to the ground. More than a dozen assassins wearing civilian clothes vigilantly controlled the surroundings of the quiet He residence, and then quietly sneaked into the residence.
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Fan Xian narrowed his eyes, looked at the sky, opened the black cloth umbrella, covering his eyes, covering this sky.
The snowflakes accumulated on the black cloth umbrella, melting a little fast and unable to accumulate, making him somewhat unhappy. Just walking like this, he walked to the front of the imperial city. He didn't go to the main entrance to wait for the announcement, but walked around the base of the imperial city, under the vigilant eyes of the imperial guards, and walked to the outside of the inconspicuous row of bungalows of the Ministry of the Interior.
Fan Xian pushed the door open, shook off the snowflakes on his body and head, carefully placed the black cloth umbrella dripping with snow water at the door, and said with a smile to the dumbfounded officials inside the door: "Long time no see."
Academician He, who was sitting on the warm kang and carefully reviewing various memorials, slowly raised his head and glanced at the uninvited guest at the door, his brows furrowing.
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(I ate amoxicillin for seven days, and the phlegm I cough up has the taste of the hospital, I bah... In these recent chapters, I want to use all the volume names, work hard, today is the last day of the monthly pass doubling, please support everyone greatly, thank you very much.)